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Phone: (276) 467-2201 Gary Michael is a board-certified family physician who serves as Medical Director for Clinch River Health Services, a community health center in Dungannon, Virginia. Community health centers receive federal funds to create access for low-income patients through a sliding scale of service charges. The Clinch River practice includes two family physicians and a family nurse practitioner. Dr. Michael's partner, Todd Cassel, M.D., also precepts residents through GMEC. Born December 21, 1959, Dr. Michael is a citizen of the United States. He is married with two children. The family resides in Kingsport, Tennessee. Dr. Michael graduated magna cum laude in 1981 from Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He earned an MD degree in 1987 from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1990, Dr. Michael completed a three-year residency program in Family Practice at Sacred Heart Hospital Family Practice Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A member of the National Health Service Corps, Michael worked one year with the Bland County Medical Clinic in Bastian, Virginia before moving to Clinch River Health Services in 1991. He has been with Clinch River since then, and has been Medical Director since 1993. Dr. Michael is active in the community, serving with the Scott County Rotary Club, the Admissions and Allocations Committee for United Way, and the Scott County Head Start Health Advisory Committee. He has been honored by the Virginia Primary Care Association, the Southwest Virginia United Way, the Scott County Rotary Club and Scott County Head Start for contributions made in the mountain region.
Dr. Michael sees 25-30 patients per day in an office setting. He estimates that 15% of his patients are under the age of 12; 10% are adolescents; 65% are adults; and 10% are older adults. By source of pay, he estimates that Medicaid or Medicare covers 37% of his patients, 29% have commercial insurance, and 34% are uninsured. An experienced teacher and mentor, Dr. Michael precepts one half day a month at the Kingsport Family Practice Center in Kingsport, Tennessee. This residency program is on the grounds of Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center and is affiliated with East Tennessee State University.
Dr. Michael has worked with the Clinical Regional Advisory Network of the Region III Public Health Service in Philadelphia to develop a computerized quality assurance audit system for community health centers. He is very interested in autoimmune disorders. Personally, he enjoys camping, home construction, woodworking and crafting, cooking, skiing, and ballroom dancing. Residents who rotate with Dr. Michael may choose to stay in Dungannon at the Phoenix House or the Rikemo Lodge. Local citizens may offer room and board to residents. GMEC can attempt to locate furnished houses or apartments, but we cannot guarantee results because short-term rentals are extremely difficult to secure in rural areas. Dungannon is a secluded rural community with about 600 residents. Thousands more people live in the surrounding hinterland and patronize physicians associated with Clinch River Health Services. The population of Scott County is 23,204. Dungannon is a peaceful, pastoral area spread along the banks of an unspoiled mountain stream. According to the Nature Conservancy, the watershed of the Clinch River is one of "America's last great places." Dozens of species that live no where else on Earth thrive in the Clinch River Valley. Isolated from other neighborhoods, Dungannon is a close-knit community, aware of its limitations and proud of its accomplishments. Dominant sectors of the Scott County economy include retail trade, manufacturing, personal services, transfer income (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits), tobacco agriculture, and stock farming. In 1995, the largest employers in the county were the school board, Mascotech Industrial (automotive stampings,) Joy Technologies (mining equipment), Ridgecrest Manor (nursing home), and KVT Food Stores (grocery distributors). Virginia Highways 65 and 72 intersect in Dungannon. These
are well maintained but narrow, curving two-lane roads. In Dungannon,
there is a restaurant, an elementary school, a general store,
two convenience markets, a post office, a motel/lodge, Clinch
River Health Services, and a few other businesses. The community
lies at the base of an upland area where Stone and Powell Mountains
merge into one rugged highland. This highland is part of the
Jefferson National Forest and offers many opportunities for outdoor
recreation. Hikers, bikers, waders, swimmers, and picnickers
can access trails, streams, and other facilities at Hanging Rock,
the Devil's Bathtub, Falls of the Little Stony, and Guest River
Gorge. There are many fishing, boating, and hunting opportunities
in the region as well. For fine dining, live theater, or the
cinema, people in Dungannon drive an hour to Abingdon, Virginia
or Kingsport, Tennessee.
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Gary E. Michael, M.D.
Michael's office hours are 9:00 a.m. to5:00
p.m. (M, Th-F) and 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. He shares
9 exam rooms with two family physicians and one nurse practitioner.
Services on the premises include a waived medical lab, simple x-rays,
emergency care, pharmaceuticals for patients with chronic illnesses,
mental health counseling, and minor surgery (suturing, lesion removal,
sigmoidoscopy). The physicians offer prenatal care (to 32 weeks) for
uncomplicated patients. They make home visits as needed, and tailor
the range of services available to the articulated needs of the community.
Clinch River has a management information system that can track the
number and diagnoses of patients seen by residents. There is one computer/phone
link with access to the Internet on the premises.
Dr. Michael has consulting privileges
at Wellmont Holston Valley and makes courtesy calls there twice
a week. Holston Valley is a tertiary care center about 45 minutes
from Clinch River Health Services. Wellmont is an integrated
health delivery system comprised of Bristol Regional Medical
Center (377 beds - Bristol, Tennessee), Holston Valley Medical
Center (540 beds), and Lonesome Pine Hospital (60 beds - Big
Stone Gap, Virginia).